Ont. school bus drivers vote on tentative deal

School bus drivers in southern Ontario are voting on a tentative contract negotiated by their union and employer.

First Student Canada workers in Lindsay cast ballots Thursday morning. Those in Bowmanville cast voted Wednesday evening.

The strike mandate for members of the Canadian Auto Workers’ union (CAW) Local 4268 expires Friday, which means they could walk off the job with 72 hours’ notice.

Four bargaining units are still in talks, including ones in Mississauga, Thornhill and Kingston.

The two sides have been negotiating since last October, and the union had said it took issue with the drivers being asked to perform extra tasks for which they are not being paid.

Local 4268 represents 750 First Student drivers.

In the event of a strike, the following routes would be affected:

Owen Sound: Bluewater (Bluewater District School Board, Bruce Grey Catholic District School Board, Conseil Scolaire de District des Ecoles Catholiques du Sud Ouest)

Port Elgin: Bluewater, Bruce-Gray Consortium, Ontario Power (industry shuttle)

Lindsay: Trillion Lakeland Consortium, Durham Catholic School Board

Bowmanville: STS Central Ontario (Kawartha Pineridge and Peterborough, Victoria, Northumberland County), Durham STS (Durham Catholic and Durham Public) and the French Catholic board

Mississauga-Hawkestone: STS Peel Region

Thornhill: Toronto Transportation Group (Toronto District School Board, Toronto Catholic District School Board, French board and one private school)

Kingston: TriBoard Consortium

Cornwall: Student Transportation of Eastern Ontario

With files from Erin Criger

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